Gay marriage: In states, a hodgepodge lies ahead

[Tx4obama]

Gay marriage: In states, a hodgepodge lies ahead

Across the country, this week's landmark Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriage have energized activists and politicians on both sides of the debate. Efforts to impose bans - and to repeal them - have taken on new intensity, as have lawsuits by gays demanding the right to marry.

The high court, in two 5-4 decisions Wednesday, opened the way for California to become the 13th state to legalize gay marriage, and it directed the federal government to recognize legally married same-sex couples. A federal appeals court on Friday lifted its freeze on same-sex marriages in California, saying the state is required to issue licenses to gay couples starting immediately.

But the rulings, while hailed by gay-rights activists, did not declare a nationwide right for gays to marry. Instead, they set the stage for state-by-state battles over one of America's most contentious social issues. Already, some of those battles are heating up.

In Pennsylvania, the only Northeast state that doesn't legally recognize same-sex couples, gay state Rep. Brian Sims, a Philadelphia Democrat, says he will introduce a bill to allow same-sex marriages. The bill may flounder in the GOP-led Legislature, but the issue is likely to be volatile in next year's gubernatorial race, pitting GOP Gov. Tom Corbett, an opponent of gay marriage, against any of three Democrats who favor it.

In Arizona, gay-rights supporters have begun circulating petitions aimed at repealing the state's 2008 ban on same-sex marriage by way of a ballot measure next year. With California's ban quashed, Arizona is now among 29 states with constitutional amendments that limit marriage to one-man, one-woman unions.

-snip-

Rest of article with info regarding many more states here: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GAY_MARRIAGE_STATE_BATTLEGROUNDS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-06-28-19-09-16

Oh, and the BELOW article is really good:

Status of the states on same-sex marriage

... summary of the laws on same-sex marriage in all 50 states...

Here: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GAY_MARRIAGE_STATES_GLANCE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-06-28-20-49-13

[Bluenorthwest]

1. It could take years to attain actual equality because Straight Society clings to the old ways

and bigotries tightly, they are incapable of simply stopping their discrimination, it will take years to even get them to pass ENDA because Straight Society loves to have the power to fire gay people for being gay, to refuse us housing for being gay, as is perfectly legal to do in 29 States, including and of course, Texas.
But in the end,we win, bigots fail.